The field of this invention relates generally to bottle assemblies and more particularity to a bottle assembly having a bottom vent.
Bottle assemblies, such as nursing bottle assemblies, typically comprise multiple components including a bottle, a nipple, a collar for securing the nipple to the bottle, and a cap for covering the nipple when the bottle is not in use. The nipple has an opening therein for allowing liquid contained within the bottle to exit the bottle for consumption by an infant or young child. During use, the infant sucks on the nipple to withdraw the liquid contained within the bottle. As a result of the infant sucking and the liquid exiting the bottle, a vacuum is created in the bottle. The vacuum makes it difficult for the infant to suck more liquid from the bottle and can result in the infant ingesting air.
It has long been recognized that the ingestion of air by infants during feeding should be avoided. As a result, some nursing bottle assemblies have incorporated venting means that vent the interior of the bottle to atmosphere during feeding, thereby equalizing pressure in the bottle to reduce the likelihood of the infant ingesting air. However, many of these contain a large number of components making their assembly, disassembly and cleaning somewhat cumbersome and time consuming. Moreover, often times the venting means contains relatively small parts, which are difficult for some users to handle and/or can be easily lost. Moreover, small parts are typically more difficult to clean compared to larger parts.
Furthermore, conventional venting means for nursing bottle assemblies is often difficult for infants to actuate because manufactures are concerned that the venting apparatus may be a potential source of leakage. For example, numerous conventional venting means of nursing bottles contain a valve (e.g., a slit valve) that is movable between an open position for allowing air into the bottle and a closed position for preventing liquid from leaking from the bottle. To minimize the potential leakage, manufacturers often make the force necessary to actuate the valve from its closed position to its open position relatively high thereby rendering it difficult for the infant to actuate the valve by simply sucking on the nipple. This problem is magnified for bottle assemblies having bottom vents as compared to bottle assemblies with side or top vents.
Thus, there is a need for a vented bottle assembly that is relatively easy for an infant to actuate and for a user to disassemble, clean, and reassemble.